Is this terrible or brilliant??

[CKfarm22]

From the original post: "It needs to double as their run and coop and be predator proof"

I am going to be undergoing surgery and will not be able to do my usual routine with them. Currently they are in a coup with a non predator proof run. I am looking for all in one alternatives and thought this could work until next spring. A bonus would be the composted poop deposited directly where I'll eventually need it.

I honestly don’t really think this is going to work. Unless i have no idea on what you’re thinking. It seems too small and not good enough to be predator proof/ winter proof.

 

[NatJ]

I just thought of one detail:
the a-frame shape means it's really low at the sides, so the chickens might bump their heads if they try to use the space right at the edges.

If you can give it straight-up sides for some distance before the slope starts, it could avoid that problem. (Maybe just a tall board as the bottom frame of the structure.) Of course the garden bed itself will provide this at first, but they will have less height as it fills up.

 

[Floof]

I honestly don’t really think this is going to work. Unless i have no idea on what you’re thinking. It seems too small and not good enough to be predator proof/ winter proof.

I live in Oregon so our winters are not too bad (lows dip into the 20s for a few nights but mostly we just get lots of rain) covering it with a secured tarp should protect from rain and drafts. We have coyote, birds of prey like hawks and owls, and raccoons. I think the biggest worry is preventing digging from the coyote. So far he has just snatched birds that were out free ranging. We have not had a single loss from any of the birds in the fenced enclosure despite it not being pred proofed around the base.

 

[3KillerBs]

The problems with an A-Frame are:

1. So much of the space is unusable -- the low areas at the sides and the narrow area at the top, and,

2. It's a very difficult shape to both provide sufficient weatherproofing AND sufficient ventilation.

I can see it working in mild weather, but it's going to be hard to keep the chickens and their feed dry and comfortable in the winter while still giving them plenty of fresh air to breathe.

 

[CKfarm22]

The problems with an A-Frame are:

1. So much of the space is unusable -- the low areas at the sides and the narrow area at the top, and,

2. It's a very difficult shape to both provide sufficient weatherproofing AND sufficient ventilation.

I can see it working in mild weather, but it's going to be hard to keep the chickens and their feed dry and comfortable in the winter while still giving them plenty of fresh air to breathe.

I agree with you, I’m no expert on this but i just don’t see it working as expected

 

[AnnPann]

I think it's an interesting idea to let them till/fertilize each garden bed, but I would think more suited to a few hours a day, not full time. But I'm in a climate where this would never work, so maybe I'm just having hard time picturing it. Could you move your coop closer to where these will be (or build a tunnel to them) and use an auto-door? That way they have their traditional coop, but can come/go into the garden, depending on the weather?

 

[Floof]

The problems with an A-Frame are:

1. So much of the space is unusable -- the low areas at the sides and the narrow area at the top, and,

2. It's a very difficult shape to both provide sufficient weatherproofing AND sufficient ventilation.

I can see it working in mild weather, but it's going to be hard to keep the chickens and their feed dry and comfortable in the winter while still giving them plenty of fresh air to breathe.

I am totally up for suggestions! Is there a better shape that would work with the garden box concept? A mini hoop presents issues with how to access it. A rectangle seems like it would let in more rain but maybe I'm wrong? I've only ever used the triangular shape on this scale (I prefer to be able to walk in but that won't be movable)

 

[Floof]

Oh

I just thought of one detail:
the a-frame shape means it's really low at the sides, so the chickens might bump their heads if they try to use the space right at the edges.

If you can give it straight-up sides for some distance before the slope starts, it could avoid that problem. (Maybe just a tall board as the bottom frame of the structure.) Of course the garden bed itself will provide this at first, but they will have less height as it fills up.

OH maybe I can avieve this with fence boards? They're pretty light weight and wouldn't add too much of a burden when it comes time to move. Or maybe I just make the garden box part taller and leave the a frame as is, not expecting to fill it past the first board.

 

[NatJ]

I am totally up for suggestions! Is there a better shape that would work with the garden box concept? A mini hoop presents issues with how to access it. A rectangle seems like it would let in more rain but maybe I'm wrong? I've only ever used the triangular shape on this scale (I prefer to be able to walk in but that won't be movable)

I've used a rectangular shape. Just add tarps on the correct number of sides, especially the sides where the wind usually comes from.
Here's a page I found with photos similar to what I've used (they read the same book I did.)
https://www.countrylivingfamily.com/gardening/chicken-tractor/


I've also done a similar things with metal panels intended for modular dog kennels.

You could also combine ideas, with a rectangular base section, then an a-frame or mini-hoop on top of that as the roof. I did one like that, and it worked pretty well (apart from crawling inside to catch chickens or retrieve floor eggs--mine was NOT tall enough to walk inside.)

Or you could look at examples of hoop coops, often based on cattle panels, that ARE tall enough to walk inside.

For any hoop-type design, you can put the roosts halfway up, and put a tarp on top, extending it down the sides to the level of the roosts. That way there's plenty of fresh air between the chickens and the ground (where the droppings land), so they're not smelling it all night long, but the chickens themselves are sheltered from the sides as well as the top.

 

[NatJ]

maybe I just make the garden box part taller and leave the a frame as is, not expecting to fill it past the first board.

That might be the easiest

And then after the chickens move on, you can put dirt on top of the droppings & bedding, and plant in the dirt rather than trying to till in the compost or plant through it.